So Long, Partner
by Michael C. Ryan
Summary: What's a college-bound young man to do with his old toys?


Author's Note:

Thank you for showing interest in my work. I would like to advise anybody who reads this story and is confused as to what exactly they're reading to skim over my profile page briefly (or in detail if you're really interested). But if even that is too much to ask, then let me just tell you that this was thought up – not written – back before the movie came out, so I didn't know how it was going to end. You'll notice a heck of a lot of similarities between them, which I will admit I was tempted to include (and eventually became sort of a trend), but honest to goodness my main focus is on this character, Michael.

Instead of beginning the story in some random location where readers will be lost beyond salvage, I began it just following the climax, with a slight change in circumstances. Well, if you've seen the movie more than once like I have, you can figure it out easily. So enjoy, and if you like what you read here, don't hesitate to visit my profile page or the main Michael Ryan website.

* * *

"Come on, Woody. We gotta get you home."

"That's right, _college boy_."

Woody silently kept up with his motivated friends as they raced up the hill towards the life they'd once taken for granted. But a sense of grief befell him as he considered exactly what that would entail. Finally, he spoke up: "Wait. What about you guys? I mean, maybe the attic's not such a great idea."

But Jessie did her best to bury his concerns. "We're Andy's toys, Woody," she reminded him.

"We'll be there for him," Buzz agreed. He took Jessie's hand in his. "Together."

~ O ~

Mrs. Potato Head covered her single eye in order to have a clear view of Andy's room through the lost other. "Andy's still packing," she announced enthusiastically, much to the toys' excitement. She gasped when she observed the near-empty room. "But he's almost done."

"He lives halfway across town."

"We'll never get there in time!"

A familiar mantra and battering against metal sounded across the littered pasture. The toys turned to its origin, where they saw Sid absent-mindedly chanting away to a favourite tune as he climbed into the front seat of the garbage truck waiting nearby.

The toys all exchanged glances keenly, thinking alike.

The truck's engine started up. "Hang on. I forgot something." "All right, hurry up, man."

"Come on," Slinky exclaimed as he began his dash towards their transportation home. The rest of the toys did the same.

But Woody, for a moment, remained behind. Tilting his head, he moved the right side of his cow-print vest out of the way just enough so he could examine the damage done. He ran his finger across the notable breach in the stitches extending vertically down his cloth torso.

"_Help! Help me! I'm stuck! Help, please!"_

_Andy's toys looked towards the fate that lay ahead for Lotso as the conveyor belt led him towards the large shredder, a fate not even the heartless of toys deserved. Woody, like the rest of his friends, was hesitant. But eventually, with little time to spare, he let go of the door handle that kept him suspended from the ceiling and out of the shredder's way._

"_Woody!" Jessie called out after him, the toys watching in alarm as he rapidly descended back to the conveyor belt._

_When he landed, there was a very sudden, sharp pain at his midsection, as though something jagged had pierced through him. Woody paid no heed to it, pushing the remains of the glass bottle out of his way and rushed for the stuffed toy trapped under the golf bag._

"Woody, let's go," Jessie insisted.

The Sheriff quickly readjusted his vest.

"'You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." He reached out and guided her forward. "Let's go."

Slinky used his spring as a ladder for the rest of the toys to clamber up into the back of the garbage truck. Buzz, having climbed up first, stood by to assist them atop the ledge. "Hey Rob, hurry it up already!" "I'm coming!"

"Hurry," Buzz urged.

Woody waited until everyone else was safely on top before he followed them up the spring. The toys noticed the driver returning in the meantime.

Buzz held out his hand. "Grab hold, cowboy."

Woody reached his right hand out for Buzz's. When Buzz pulled him aboard, Woody jolted slightly and bit his lip, feeling another stitch come undone.

The space ranger panicked, withdrawing his hand. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said immediately. Woody proceeded to pull the rest of Slinky up. "We gotta move."

~ O ~

A final look towards his friends did not seem like enough, but Woody assured himself of what he'd told Buzz: This would not be goodbye. And so as Buzz and his friends disappeared into the 'Attic' box, closing the flaps behind them, they all knew that they would one day be together again. Woody was swift to duck down into the 'College' box before Andy's bedroom door opened.

"It's weird in here," Molly admitted as she scanned the empty room. But the hint of sadness in her voice didn't last long as she turned back to her older brother haughtily. "Wait until I move my stuff in."

Andy walked around her to the corner where a couple of 'College' boxes remained stacked. "I'll miss you, too. Go grab that one on my desk for me, would you? It's not as heavy."

Rather than complying right away, Molly looked down at the box marked 'Attic' beside her. She nudged it with her foot. "What about this one?"

Andy glanced over his shoulder at the 'Attic' box, releasing the 'College' ones momentarily. His brow furrowed.

Her brother's uncertainty went noticed, so Molly took it upon herself to open the box for him. "It's your toys," she laughed teasingly at the sight of the plastic figures piled inside.

A look of both astonishment and excitement cast over Andy's face. He knelt next to it, smiling down upon his old toys. Ignoring his sister's gaze on him, he carefully pulled Buzz and Rex out for a closer look. "I didn't think I'd see these guys again," he admitted, his relief clear. He smoothed his thumb over the surface of Buzz's space suit. The rush he was pushing for to get on the road petered out; after placing Buzz and Rex back, Andy picked the box up off the ground and brought it over to the bare mattress.

Molly put her hands on her hips. "Now's not really the time to play with your toys." But out of sympathy for the older brother she would not see again for a long time, she plopped down on foot of the bed and crossed her legs, similar to Andy.

Andy was stroking Bullseye's mane from inside the box. "You know, sometimes I would pretend this little guy was jet-propelled just so Woody could keep up with Buzz."

Molly eyed the toys, then her brother as he became lost in nostalgia. She let him have his moment and scanned the empty room. Finally, she turned her attention back to the toys, bored rigid. She rummaged lightly through them when a realization came along. "I don't see Woody," she pointed out.

"He's in there," he told her, nodding his head in the direction of the 'College' box on his desk. "I'm taking him with me."

Wisely, Molly did not question his decision. Instead, as Andy remained distant, she went over to his desk. The corner of her mouth tightened as she pulled the cowboy doll out of the box. After a brief inspection, she pulled the string on his back.

"_Yee-ha! Giddy up, partner! We gotta get this wagon train a-movin'_."

In the meantime, when Molly had flipped Woody back over to face her, her thumb had slipped underneath his vest, where she'd felt something unusual. She moved the vest out of the way. Her head cocked to the side somewhat and the sight of what was beneath it. "When did you do this?" she asked.

"Do what?"

Molly held Woody up for Andy's viewing, holding the vest out of the way so he could see the tear. "Was that always there?"

Andy appeared confounded and speechless. Within seconds, he was next to Molly, holding Woody in his hands and inspecting the rip in the toy's torso. "I… I don't remember… I never noticed it before."

From inside the 'Attic' box, Buzz and Jessie peeked over the edge. The rest of the toys waited in silence, watching their faces intently for a physical response to what had caught Andy's attention.

"What is it?" Rex whispered.

Buzz was squinting in order to see, but all he and Jessie could get a glimpse of were Woody's dangling legs.

"You could probably just sew it up. It's not like you see it anyway."

In the face of his anguish, he chuckled unintentionally. "I tried that when I ripped his arm once, and it ended up lopsided."

Molly shrugged and grabbed the 'College' box. "Well, I'm taking this to the car. Come down when you're finished playing."

Buzz and Jessie hastily ducked back down into the 'Attic' box as Molly left the room.

All the while, Andy had not taken his eyes off of the cowboy doll limp in his hands. Over and over he ran his index finger across the rip. He then let the cow-print vest fall back down over it. Like Molly had said, it wasn't exactly noticeable that way. But Andy still sighed disappointedly. "What am I gonna do with you, Woody?" he asked him.

Buzz, accompanied by Jessie, peeked over the edge once more. But Andy was still facing the desk.

Andy looked at the clock. Letting out a short, confident breath, the college-bound young adult reached into his pocket with a free hand and pulled out his cell phone. He sat down on his mattress as he dialled and waited for an answer. "Hey, it's Andy. … I'm doing all right, thanks. 'Just about to head out. You?"

The rest of the toys did their best to avoid being seen and, at the same time, try to peer through the box handle at where Andy had lay the Sheriff doll down.

Andy laughed mildly at what was said on the other end of the line. "Don't forget to show me at Frosh. … Awesome. Hey, listen, where are you right now?" He picked Woody back up for another look. "Great. Would it be all right if I stopped by for a little while? Or are you busy?"

Woody's plastic face continued to smile up at him. Andy couldn't help but smile back.

"Thanks a lot. And, um…" He looked towards the 'Attic' box. "Is Michael around?"

~ O ~

The suburban community was quiet at Corner Stone Crescent as Andy steadily drove his car by the Ryan's residence. The two-story, modern home stood large amongst trees and freshly-cut grass, its brick walls partly covered in vines. As Andy pulled into the driveway, a young woman on the white-painted ironwood porch was smiling. He waved, then was waved at back.

Andy turned off the ignition and looked out the passenger window at the girl striding towards him. She leaned in and crossed her arms along the edge of the open window, her long hair falling over her shoulders, her name necklace reading 'Ashley' hanging down from her neck. "Sorry, we're already insured."

He laughed. "How've you been?"

"Swell," she said. "Come on in." As he stepped out and came around the front, she was glancing over the inside of the car. "So you fit it all in here, huh. I was almost considering renting one of those U-Haul trailers."

"I put a lot of my things in our attic," he admitted.

She noticed the box labelled 'Attic' in the passenger's seat. "You missed one."

"Yeah, about that…" Andy rubbed the back of his head. "Your brother's home, right?"

"M-hm. I'll get him." With that, she went and followed the stone pathway back to the front portico.

Andy swung the passenger door open and heaved out the box, then slamming it with his foot before proceeding to follow her to the front door.

"Mom," she called, only to come face to face with her a mere second later as she was stepping out of the house and into the end-of-summer breeze. "Where's Michael?"

"In the living room," Mrs. Ryan replied before noticing Andy coming up the steps as well. "Andy, hi. How are you?"

He smiled courteously, placing the box down on the porch step. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you just leaving now?" she asked. Ashley snuck past her to go into the house.

"Yeah."

"'Nervous?"

"A little."

"I'll bet. Enjoy it. I told Ashley that it doesn't get any easier afterwards."

Andy chuckled light-heartedly. "Oh, good."

Mrs. Ryan shared the laugh. "Well, I'm just going to the superstore for a few minutes. If you're gone before I come back, then hey, best of luck to you."

"Thank you. 'Good seeing you again, Mrs. Ryan."

Not long after she had driven off, the front screen door was pushed open. Out stepped a little boy, securely holding onto Ashley's hand as he was guided over the threshold. His blonde hair glistened in the sun.

"Look who's here, Michael."

The boy, looking up past the floor, was beaming the second he spotted the familiar face standing on their deck. "Andy!" He dashed forward.

Andy bent down in time to catch him in his arms. "Hey, little man. What's up?"

"Ashley said you're going away today."

"That's right."

"Are you coming back?"

"Of course." Andy rubbed Michael's back. "Probably not every weekend like her, but whenever I can." He moved back a bit to get a better look at the energized young boy. "Wow, you look taller."

"No, I told him the rest of the world is just shrinking," Ashley joked.

Andy sent her an amused look before turning back to Michael. "Hey, guess what. I brought something for you."

Michael, agape, excitedly looked towards his sister and then back at Andy.

"Come over here." Andy stood, carrying the box with him, and moved closer towards the outdoor swing chair on the porch. He sat down on the floor. Michael joined him, kneeling down on the other side of the box almost his size. "Take a look."

Without hesitating, Michael flung open the box flaps. He gasped. "Look!"

"Wow," Ashley said in amazement to match his, taking a seat in the chair against the wall behind him.

"These are my toys from when I was growing up," Andy told him. "I don't play with them anymore, so I was wondering if you could play with them for me. Do you think you would?"

Michael nodded, still delightedly staring at the toys inside the box.

Andy's smile grew. "Did you want to meet them?"

"Yeah," he exclaimed. With his older sister's silent approval to do so, Michael blindly reached into the box, rummaging through it before pulling out the green dinosaur.

"That's Rex. He's the meanest, most terrifying dinosaur in the land."

Michael began to make roaring noises as he made a walking movement with Rex, much to Ashley and Andy's amusement. Holding the dinosaur close, he reached into the box again and pulled out the piggy bank.

"That's Hamm. You can put your money in him to keep safe. But I should warn you: By day, he's a piggy bank, but by night, he's one of the most dastardly villains of all time, Evil Doctor Pork Chops."

Michael laughed, peeped through the coin slot into the dark hollowness inside him. Placing him carefully next to Rex, he reached back in to pull out one of the Little Green Aliens.

"Now that little guy's from Pizza Planet. There should me two more of them in here." Andy managed to pull out the two remaining aliens. He placed them by Michael for his pleasure.

Extending his arm with the alien at hand, he squeezed the toy repeatedly so it squeaked in Ashley's ear. He giggled when she began twisting her pinkie in her ear afterwards. Still holding onto the squeeze-toy alien, he stuck his arm back into the box and fished out Slinky's bottom half.

Andy laughed. "Hang on a second." Without stretching the spring too far, he found Slinky's head. "This here is Slinky. He's very loyal and can use his spring as a force field."

Michael's fingers wrapped around the top of Slinky's head and dragged the springy dog along the floorboards, blissfully watching his bottom half follow respectfully. "You can play with Mickey," he told Slinky before carefully placing him with the other toys. When he reached into the box once more, he was bemused to pull out a small, plastic arm.

"Oh, boy," Ashley chortled.

"Here," Andy chuckled as well as he pulled the box a bit closed and rummaged through its remaining contents. "Let me help you out." He did just that by finding the armless Mr. Potato Head and handing it to Michael. "Mr. Potato Head tends to lose his parts sometimes. You gotta make sure that he doesn't."

Michael quietly giggled to himself when removing his nose, then putting it back.

"Ah, and of course, with a Mr. Potato Head comes a Mrs.," Andy said as he pulled out and handed him Mrs. Potato Head. "They're partners in love and in crime."

Small hands pushed the Potato Heads together so their detachable arms were linked together.

Andy adjusted himself from sitting cross-legged to kneeling before he continued. He pulled out the cowgirl doll. "This is _Jessie_, as your sister had corrected me."

Ashley smiled from where her hand served as a resting support for her chin.

"Jessie's the roughest, toughest cowgirl in the whole wild West." He then drew out the toy horse and set Jessie atop the plastic saddle. "Bullseye here is her noble steed. He can run faster than a runaway train."

Michael grasped Bullseye, careful to keep Jessie balanced on top. He adjusted her hat so it sat straight on her head. Getting to his feet, he held the horse and cowgirl up above Ashley's lap and made a galloping motion across it. "Yee-ha!" he exclaimed.

"Yee-ha!" Ashley repeated amusedly.

"I saved the best for last," Andy declared.

Ashley held on to Jessie and Bullseye as Michael respectfully sat back down across from Andy, attempting to bury his impatience by situating his hands in his lap.

Practically sharing his excitement, Andy pulled out the last toy. "This is-"

"Buzz!" Michael interrupted, immediately shifting to a kneeling position.

Andy was taken aback. He glanced up at Ashley for an answer, who merely shrugged her shoulders. "He watches the show on Saturday mornings."

"To infinity, and beyond!"

With a satisfied grin on his still-baffled face, Andy handed Buzz Lightyear to the excited boy. "I guess I don't need to tell you about how cool he is, huh."

Michael examined the familiar space ranger toy with sheer delight. He pressed his finger into the red button on the space suit.

"_Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!_"

While Michael positioned Buzz up with care next to rest of the toys, Andy moved the empty box out of his way so he could scoot closer. "Now, Michael, you have to promise me that you'll take good care of these guys. Ashley's going to report back to me every week."

"That's right," Ashley firmly agreed.

Michael appeared uneasy, but smiled playfully when Andy rubbed his head, tousling his hair.

"I know they're in good hands," Andy proclaimed.

Ashley nudged her brother lightly. "What do you say?"

"Thank you, Andy." Michael stood, avoiding kicking down any of his new toys, and wrapped his arms around Andy's neck.

"You're very welcome." Andy returned the warm embrace. His burnished eyes slowly closed after ogling the toys over Michael's shoulder.

Ashley eventually cut in. "Andy, you mentioned there was something else?"

"Right," he said, pulling away. "I'll be right back."

As Andy scurried back to his car, Michael returned to the much-pleasant company of his new toys, repositioning them even the slightest bit to make the assemblage just right.

Ashley grinned widely and stroked his head. "'You happy?"

"Yeah."

"Congratulations. 'Looks like your birthday present came early this year, right?"

He nodded with a cheeky smile.

Andy was quick to return. Ashley set Jessie and Bullseye with the rest of the toys and stood to acknowledge him. In his hands, he held the limp cowboy doll like he would his most valuable treasure.

Ashley beamed. "Hey, Woody," she said. She accepted the doll and held him up so he was facing her. "Long time no see."

"I was wondering if you could do me a favour," he said. "I noticed a rip today just under his vest."

Ashley moved the vest out of the way to confirm. "Oh, no."

"I don't know when it happened," Andy admitted. "But… Anyway, I know your grandmother is really good at sewing and stuff. Would it be possible for you asked her to just fix that up? I know it sounds weird…"

"No, no, it's fine. But if you want instead, I'd be happy to fix him up."

"Oh, no, I couldn't ask you to."

"Andy, it's fine. If you're willing to stick around for a little longer, I'll have him ready before you go."

Andy was extremely grateful. "Wow. Thank you. I really appreciate it."

In the meantime, Michael had gotten to his feet, gripping onto Buzz with one hand, and joined the two, curiosity glimmering in his eyes. His direction of gaze changed from Andy and Ashley's faces to the cowboy doll in Ashley's hands.

Andy noticed the enquiring little boy. "Ah, you haven't met the Sheriff yet," he said with a smile. "Michael, this is Woody. He's going with me to college." Ashley held Woody down to Michael's level.

"Hi, Woody. I'm Michael," he proclaimed.

Ashley pulled Woody's string.

"_Reach for the sky!_"

Michael stroked a finger along the edge of Woody's hat. "Cowboy."

"That's right; he's a cowboy," Ashley said.

Andy looked back at Ashley. "Really, I can't thank you enough," he asserted.

She brushed it off. "Please. It's the least I can do. Woody's an old pal. Right, Woody?" She made the cowboy doll nod his head.

Michael giggled.

"Hang out here for a while," she instructed. "I'll be back in a few."

"Thank you," Andy said again after her. Both he and Michael watched her go into the house with Woody.

~ O ~

And so Andy and Michael remained in the front yard together to have an adventure with Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the toys. Late morning turned into early afternoon, Ashley never leaving her room the entire time. Not even for when Mrs. Ryan returned and prepared lunch. Mrs. Ryan offered Andy to join them, who gratefully accepted. All through lunch, Andy watched – and, every so often, even joined – Michael as he played with a few of the toys at the dining table, something Mrs. Ryan allowed for that one time.

Ashley came outside to find the toys sprawled over the lawn. Andy and Michael were by the flower bed, where Rex was sticking out from inside a bush and Buzz was hovering over it with his laser arm extended.

She glanced down at Woody, then back up towards the occupied kids both in age and at heart. Stepping down from the porch, she found Bullseye lying in the grass next to Slinky. She sat Woody down on the horse's saddle and carried them towards the boys quietly. Sneaking up behind them, she pulled Woody's string.

"_This town ain't big enough for the two of us._"

Andy spun around quickly, his existing smile growing larger at the sight of the cowboy doll. "You're amazing," he said, accepting Woody, keeping him on Bullseye's saddle. He looked up at Ashley. "So are you."

Ashley laughed. "You're welcome."

Holding Bullseye near the ground, he leaned him back as though he was standing on his hind legs. Michael giggled. "Giddy up!" he exclaimed.

Andy moved the cow-print vest out of the way to examine Ashley's exceptional handiwork. And for a moment, that's all he did was stare at the cowboy on the horse. He then looked up at Michael, who was gazing back at him. Inquisitiveness reflected in his squinting hazel eyes.

Letting out a sigh, he lifted Woody off of Bullseye's saddle. "You know, I never really like to break up a team," he admitted. "Especially one as awesome as Woody and Buzz Lightyear."

Michael smiled brightly, glancing down at Buzz, who lay in the grass face-up.

"Plus I don't think Woody would really enjoy college anyway." With that, Andy held the cowboy doll out to Michael. "Would you do the honour of taking care of him for me?"

Thrilled but timid, Michael nodded his head as he accepted the doll with careful hands. He looked into Woody's shining eyes with a shine to match in his own. He pulled the string on his back.

"_You're my favourite deputy!_"

"'But reach for the sky anyway,'" Ashley joked.

Andy laughed quietly and watched, in admiration, Michael prop Buzz up so he and Woody were side by side, facing Andy. After a silent moment, Andy promptly moved to stand before his eyes began to gloss over again. "I'd better go," he said to Ashley. "Thank you for everything."

"No, thank you," Ashley affirmed, nodding towards her little brother. "This is like his birthday and Christmas combined for him. Right, Michael?"

Rather than replying, Michael stumbled over to Andy and hugged his legs, still gripping onto Woody and Buzz. Andy smiled and gently patted his head. "I'll see you around, okay pal?"

Moving back, Michael nodded. He held the toy duo close to his chest.

~ O ~

"Michael, let's go downstairs," Mrs. Ryan instructed her son as he was placing Hamm on his bedside table. "Daddy's going to be home soon." As soon as he finished adjusting the piggy bank, little Michael complied and followed his mother out of his bedroom, grasping onto her offered hand.

The toys waited for the door to secure shut before they moved freely. Woody was first to hurry to the open window. He and the others, with a high view of the front of the house, were just in time to witness Andy's car drive away, the sunlight gleaming brightly off the reflective surface.

Woody smiled as the car disappeared around the corner at the end of the street. "So long, partner."


End file.
